2.14 LUSTERNIA: NEWBIE GUIDE

Welcome to Lusternia: Age of Ascension, a land of mystery, intrigue, and conflict. In Lusternia, you're part of a vibrant, living world of high fantasy where you can create the future by your accomplishments. Diplomacy and combat prowess are your tools of the trade. Do you have what it takes to become the next King of Celest, or the Dark Marshall of Glomdoring? Perhaps you could become a Champion of one of the many guilds, or a famed merchant. There are many paths!

The Lusternia Guide aims to help you out by giving you beginner-level advice, explanations, commands, and everything you might need to achieve your goals and claim your destiny within Lusternia!

It's time to get started. There's a huge, living, growing world out there to explore and to tame, and to embellish with your heroic deeds and mighty adventures!

Getting Connected to Lusternia
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Join thousands of players like you as they connect their computers to Lusternia by using a client program like our own Lusternia HTML5 Client - called the Nexus client. Just click on 'Play Now' at the top of this page, or Play Lusternia with the Nexus client. Our Nexus client program is the easiest way to get connected, but not the only way. Look in the Wikipedia Entry on MUD Clients for alternatives, which are called telnet or mud clients. The telnet address is lusternia.com, port 23 or port 2003, and numeric IP address is 67.202.114.7.

Intro: Journey through the Portal of Fate
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Every newcomer to Lusternia experiences the Journey through the Portal of Fate.

The Journey is a quick interactive introduction to Lusternia that can take as few as ten minutes, or as long as a few hours, depending entirely on you. Twenty minutes or half an hour is a fairly common time for those completely new to Lusternia.

In the Journey, you'll gain a few useful things for your life in Lusternia including:

    * A shirt and a pair of pants
    * A journal
    * A set of Vials (Including Health, Mana, and Bromide elixirs)
    * A pack
    * A set of 5 enchanted rings
    * And, of course, a small amount of gold

You will also receive an introduction to commands, and a few levels of experience to get you started.

You also choose an organisation for your character (which we call an adventurer) and their age.

You and Your Adventurer
=======================

In Lusternia, you take on the role of a living, mortal being which we call an "adventurer." This will serve as your playing piece in the game of Lusternia. Consider the adventurer your link to an entire life-like realm, where you will essentially live out the life of your character.

Every adventurer can be completely personalized. You will be able to choose your adventurer's gender and race, the guild and organization every adventurer can join, and you may even choose a Divine Order that caters to one of Lusternia's esteemed Deities.

After those decisions are out of the way, the only limitations exist in your imagination! Cast spells, walk around, talk to your friends and join in the politics that rule the land- most importantly, be prepared to encounter a lush world filled with options!

Roleplaying
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In Lusternia, you assume the persona of your character. Concepts like computers, the internet, the Boston Red Sox or anything else that is not Lusternia-centric do not exist here. We term this phenomenon "in-character" (IC), and it is sustained just about everywhere in Lusternia. There are very few exceptions- so few in fact that we can only think to name private conversations with someone else who does not mind if you go "out of-character" (OOC).

There can be administrative consequences for going OOC publicly, so be careful! If another adventurer warns you that you are exhibiting "insanity" or acting "insane", be aware that the word "insanity" in Lusternia usually refers to OOC behaviour. For more information, you can read HELP ROLEPLAYING.

The World of Lusternia: Rooms, Directions, Denizens, Items, Inventory
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Rooms: The world of Lusternia is divided into numerous "unit" locations that are referred to as rooms. A room might be a section of seashore, a portion of the woodlands, or an open field. It might even be a room in a house or building.
 
Rooms are generally connected to one other the way you'd expect them to be - a field might have more field to the east, a river to the north, and a hill sloping upwards to the west. By typing LOOK, the text that is returned to you describes the room that your character is standing in. The exits available to you are noted at the very bottom.

Directions: To move around from one room to another, simply type the direction which connects them - in or out, up or down, east, west, etc. Sometimes doors, gates, portals or other things might be in the way, in which case you may will have to figure out how to get around those obstacles (also discussed below).

Denizens: Denizens are the programmed inhabitants of Lusternia that are every bit as alive as your adventurer, but not controlled by players. They're referred to as NPCs (non-player-characters), mobs or mobiles (because they move around),CCCs (for computer controlled characters), or monsters. Denizens are used to enrich the atmosphere of Lusternia; they provide engaging quests, can act as wandering salespeople, and can tell you information about the area you're exploring. It's important to pay careful attention to these fellow residents of Lusternia!

Items and Inventory: A wide variety of items exist in Lusternia that can be manipulated by you. These include, but are not limited to, books, herbs, weapons, armour, clothing, powerful artifacts and containers to hold your items.

As a Lusternian, you may choose to become a craftsmen in one of our extremely diverse and creative trades where you'll create some of the things other players can use! One can WEAR, WIELD, EAT or DRINK, as well as DROP the hundreds of items we offer which will place them on the ground. TAKE an item from a pack or pick it up from the ground! Learning how to manipulate items is essential, so take note of their different uses!

Commands
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Commands refer to the words or phrases you will type to interact with Lusternia. We have noted a few already, but here's a quick list of some of the more important commands you will want to be familiar with (please note that when you see a word in all caps, it usually means it's a command that must be typed.

We have described the commands in that fashion throughout this guide:

Movement
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Moving around is a simple matter of entering a direction, like this:

    * NORTH (or N)
    * NORTHEAST (or NE)
    * SOUTH (or S)
    * NORTHWEST (or NW)
    * EAST (or E)
    * SOUTHEAST (or SE)
    * WEST (or W)
    * SOUTHWEST (or SW)
    * UP (or U)
    * DOWN (or D)
    * IN
    * OUT

The above commands will move you a single room or location in the given direction if it is possible to move that way. Please note! Some clients may interpret NE as "Move north, then move east."

We have mentioned some obstacles that may prohibit you from moving. Therefore, if there's a door in the way, you may need to open it (e.g. OPEN DOOR ) before going through. If you are in or near water (like a stream or river or lake) you will need to SWIM in that direction.

Special Movement
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POOLS will send you to a safe place that was created especially for our Lusternian Newbies. It is at the epicenter of a number of very helpful locations. Simply READ SIGN to view where each direction leads.

Newbies, or novices, are adventurers that have not reached level 21. Our system of portals can be accessed as many times as you want while you're below level 10, but will soon start to fade in available uses after you've reached level 11. 

It's a good idea to try and learn as much as you can about Lusternian geography before then because once they're gone, they're never coming back!

There are also special exits in which you must ENTER <object>. For example, ENTER PIT or ENTER SHIP.

Looking Around
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  (L)OOK    Shows you the location you are in, including things on the ground and other adventurers or denizens.
  (GL)ANCE  Allows you to look into another adjacent room from where you're standing.
  (I)NV     Gives you a list of what is being held in your inventory.
  II
  INFO INV  Same as INV, but lists your items according to a special number that can be used in place of the item's name. This is especially important to remember if you are currently carrying two of the same item!
  IH
  INFO HERE Similar to II or INFO INV, except it shows detail about things in your current location instead of your inventory.

Communicating
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You can communicate in many different ways in Lusternia, both to individuals and groups. The aether provides Lusternia with amazing telepathic capabilities that other realms call "channels" of communication. Either way, the pertinent commands are below!

  SAY        To speak to others that are standing in the same room as you.
  TELL       To contact someone telepathically and privately.
  NEWBIE     To use aether communication to contact other newbies and Fate Guides who may be able to assist you. NEWBIE is not a chat channel, but it is great for asking questions. Use NEWBIEON or NEWBIEOFF to start or stop listening on that channel.
  CT         An aether communication wave that connects you to your city or commune. Use CTON or CTOFF to toggle your ability to hear people on and off respectively.


Info About Oneself
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  SCORE      This shows things like your name, race, health, mana, ego, age, membership to clans and cartels, and how much gold you are carrying if it isn't being stored in a container.
  STAT       This shows you how hungry and tired you are, how warmly dressed you are, and information related to your adventurer's state of being.

For more info, read HELP SCORE and HELP STAT!

Fighting
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KICK and PUNCH: Until you have joined a guild, kicking and punching are the only forms of aggression available to you. Because Lusternia observes PvP? (player-killing), it is possible to kill other adventurers. Rules do exist to govern this unique capability, so we suggest that you focus on fighting denizens to gain experience before entering the world of PK (playerkilling). You wouldn't want to break any rules!

Once you've joined a guild, you will have access to all of that guild's useful skills. Please note that not every guild requires that you obtain a weapon, so take care in asking what you'll need!

Healing and Recovery
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In Lusternia, it is possible to be afflicted by hunger and exhaustion, and a host of other maladies. Listed below are a few ways to remedy your ailments-SLEEP When you sleep, your health slowly rises to normal levels. Sleeping also restores you to peak wakefulness.

Remember to check STATUS to see how tired you are! If you do not sleep regularly, exhaustion can force you into a deep slumber where you stand.

(MED)ITATE Meditation helps you recover mana. When you meditate, you must remain in a perfectly calm and inactive state. Almost anything will disturb your meditation.

Herbs, salves, and elixirs are used to restore your adventurer to perfect health.

A few very important cures are:

   Health Potion        Restores health (SIP it) or restore deep wounds (APPLY it).
   Mana Potion          Restores mana (SIP it).
   Bromide Potion       Restores ego (SIP it).

Many of these cures can be found at Trader Bob's, a little southwest of the Newton Caverns entrance.

Look through HELP HEALINGLIST and HELP HEALING YOURSELF to learn about what can ail you and how those ailments are cured.

Early Choices: Race, City, Guild
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You have many choices to make right away: your race, your city/commune (if any), and your Guild, if any.

Choosing a Race
===============

Lusternia has about a dozen races from which to choose. There is no single best race, nor even a single best race for a given Guild. Some races are faster, or smarter, or stronger than others. It's up to you to decide what's more important.

Speak with experienced adventurers in your chosen Guild. They often have good suggestions about what's important for you. You can reincarnate once for free, which allows you to change your race, and after that, by buying and using an artifact called the Dagger of Reincarnation.

Each race has strengths and weaknesses, and some of them have the chance to specialise in certain guilds. It is best to look into all the races to find the one that best suits what you would like to do.

TASK RACE LIST is a simple way to see what races your guild recommends based on RP or specialisms they might get.

Choosing a Guild
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Guilds are an important part of Lusternia life and politics. Membership is highly recommended.

If you choose to join a Guild, you'll gain allies, political influence, and a group of people you can call on for help. You'll also gain a set of expectations about how you act, and that same group of people can call on you for help. Are the advantages worth the obligations? Only you can answer that for yourself.

Finding the right Guild starts by deciding on the type of roleplay you wish to pursue. Do you wish to be a grand mage in the City of Light, a grunt in the armies of the Engine of Transformation, a High Druid in the vast forest of the Serenwilde, or perhaps a mysterious wiccan in the dark forest of Glomdoring.

Choosing a City
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Lusternia has four cities and two communes among which to choose. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a city:

The ideals of the city/commune. This can be found in HELP for example, HELP CELEST. Note this also lists the city/commune's people and leaders.

Your choice of city/commune will determine what guild you are able to join and what class you are able to be, as these are tied to each organisation.

Places to Go
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The most important places you'll need to know right away are Pools and Newton.

There are numerous quests for newbies.

Pools - this is a completely safe location that can only be reached by those level 29 or under using the POOLS. These rooms are magical locations that open gateways to places that are scattered throughout the realms - some at a very great distance indeed - for the convenience of newcomers to Lusternia. Just READ SIGN in each room to see where all they lead.

Newton - Outside Newton is Trader Bob, the merchant, who will sell intrepid young explorers some items to aid them on their initial ventures. It is recommended that you ask your guild what things you will need, as many will offer to help you get started as well. There is a connection from the Portals to Newton.

Feel free to also explore other areas of the Basin of Life, though you may not want to seek advise from your guild mates first on the best places to explore.

To avoid getting lost, be sure to make use of the Cartography Maps on Lusternia's website!

Guild and Guild Rank
====================

Lusternia boasts a massive twenty-eight guilds. Each guild has a unique philosophy tied to it, but any class can be part of any guild. 

Each class has at least three skills in a combination unique to that class, and each skill is made up of dozens of abilities. Some skills have specializations, and some classes have different skillchoice selections in which three class skills you will take.

When you select a class you will have none of the class skills and will need to look at SKILLCHOICE LIST to see what is available to you in your class.

When you have determined the skills available you will choose them with SKILLCHOICE SELECT.

Skills, Learning, and Lessons
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The most important skills - your class skills - are not the only options. Just use the SKILLS command to see which skills you have access to, and may train in.

These other skills, such as Discernment, Environment, Combat, and others, are not generally as important as your class skills, yet they can make quite a difference.

Increasing your level of skill is straightforward: find another adventurer/player (or a denizen tutor) to be your teacher, and (for example)

LEARN 15 COMBAT FROM MIAKODA -- This will spend 15 of your lessons on improving your level of skill in Combat, assuming that Miakoda knows more Combat than you do!

You gain lessons each time you gain a level of experience. Check how many lessons you have available with CREDIT REPORT.

You can also get more lessons by converting credits to lessons, using CREDITS CONVERT TO LESSONS. Each credit converts into 6 lessons.

Experience, Levels, and Power
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In Lusternia we have 100 mortal levels of experience. Once you have finished the Journey through the Portal of Fate, you will be level 2. As you rise in level of experience, you gain expanded access to Lusternia in a variety of ways, and your maximum health, mana, ego will increase. You also gain lessons and credits! 

Eventually, you will transcend the need for food or sleep, and finally, you  may reach level 99, at which point you may become a Titan. If you excel even further you will transcend many mortal limitations and walk amongst them as  one of Lusternia's Demigods!

To increase in level, you must gain experience, which you can do by:

    * Completing Quests that you discover throughout Lusternia (such as Newbie Quests)
    * PK - player killing - with other adventurers like yourself
    * NPCs/Mobs/Denizens - hunting the monsters and creatures you encounter throughout Lusternia
    * Influence - If you choose a more peaceful approach to life, you may learn the skills of influencing, and beg from, flirt with, or tease many denizens across Lusternia in order to gain experience.

It's not all a bed of roses though: it's possible to lose experience as well, both during combat and after, if you lose and die. If you lose enough experience, your level may decrease.

Gold, Credits, and Artifacts
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Gold, also called gold sovereigns, is the primary form of money in Lusternia. You can gain gold in quests, in killing denizens, in begging from denizens, and through theft. It's probably safest to keep your gold in a container - like your backpack - or in banks.

Of the many ways to earn gold which you will discover in your journeys, several are accessible even to those of very low levels of experience:

    * Completing quests (which often give experience also),
    * Ratting/weeviling - working for some cities to help keep their rat infestations down.

Credits are a sort of currency too. You can gain credits in a variety of ways:

    * Free credits given at certain levels
    * Purchasing on the credit market for gold
    * Winning them as prizes in our bardic/artistic competitions
    * Acquiring them from the Lusternia web site.
	* Completing certain tasks for DAILY CREDITS (HELP DAILY CREDITS)

Artifacts are not money, but they are very valuable items that can give great power to the bearer. You may purchase artifacts for credits or aethergoop via the ASHOP.

Containers and Dimensional Pockets
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It's likely that you'll accumulate a lot of stuff as you wander Lusternia. This brings a new challenge: where can you put it all? Depending on exactly what stuff we're talking about, you'll want to use containers or the rift.

Containers: The pack you got during the Journey through the Portal of Fate is one of many possible containers you may find.